Posted by TJ Stoneman on September 6, 2019, 7:31:35, in reply to "Highball Tests"

COURBET's paintwork was looking very worn by the time of the trials. There is an article in Warship 2016 (Conway Maritime Press, 2016) on the Highball trials, with photographs. The caption of the photo showing the paint scheme says "The false bow wave is still present, however the battleship has now acquired a modified paint scheme with a broad white band on the hull amidships, and the sides of both funnels also painted white (as well as the top of the fore-funnel), all presumably as aiming markers for the Mosquitos."

Previous Message

In a Channel 5 television program "Bismarck: Hitler's Greatest Warship" there was a short film sequence on High Ball testing The sequence showed HMS Malaya as the target. The only film I had seen previously showed Courbet as the target. R A Burt book notes Malaya was the target for training for attacks on Tirpitz by midget submarines. Were both Courbet and Malaya used in the test and has anybody got a source for Courbet camouflage whilst it was a subject of the tests.